I Only Want to Love You
by FeastOnTheMind
Summary: Bunny's been missing for weeks; and now that he's returned, the Guardians find he's been transformed into his tiny form; where he's weak and confused. But Jack's been acting strange; a blinding rage directed towards the little Bunny...while the miserable little Pooka only wants to love Jack. DISCLAIMER: CONTAINS ANIMAL CRUELTY, PHYSICAL ABUSE, AND MATURE THEMES. READ AT OWN RISK.
1. Chapter 1: Why?

**This chapter was interesting to write - I had to create a much darker side to Jack, which I know some of you will not like. But I promise that most of the chapters in this story aren't going to be like this; this chapter is just necessary to provide some background emotion and information. Also, you will find there may be more to Jack in this story than it may seem on the surface. **

**Please R&R! **

**P.S.: For those of you who have read my story "I'm Broken Without You", this is a tiny bit similar but it will become a lot different as the story goes on. **

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Jack pounded his fist onto the table repeatedly, sobbing. His body was racked by hiccuping sobs, and the front of his shirt was soaked in tears. A single lit candle on the table threw a dull light over his face, illuminating his haunted eyes.

He let out a deranged sob, and buried his face in his crossed arms.

"Fuck," he sniffed, attempting to wipe the tears away.

It was all his fault. It really was. He should never have started the argument - at the time it had seemed so important, but right now Jack couldn't think of anything more meaningless. He couldn't even remember what they had been fighting above. How pathetic was that? All he'd remembered was Bunnymund throwing his arms up into the air, and shouting "FINE! FORGET IT ALL THEN. FORGET EVERYTHING. I'M SO SICK OF DEALING WITH YOU!" Then the Pooka had spun round and left, leaving Jack standing speechlessly in Bunnymund's cottage in the Warren. At first Jack had thought it would all blow over; that Bunny would be back and they could sort it out. But hours had turned into days, and days into weeks. Nights that had once been filled with love and Bunnymund's warm embrace turned into dark, haunted nights of loneliness for the Guardian of Fun. Nobody had seen Bunnymund for a month; until he appeared at North's doorstep.

North had swung open the door, and his face had immediately contorted in confusion. That was right before a tiny little Bunnymund had crashed down onto the doormat, smeared in mud and trembling wildly. Jack had been on the verge of tears when he held Bunnymund's tiny, fluffy paw as the crushed animal was transported to the medical bay.

None of the guardians had any idea of what might have happened; it couldn't be Pitch. Pitch had been vanquished only months ago; there was no way he could have returned. But then what was it? What had rendered Bunny so useless, transforming him into his tiny form?

Sandy had done everything he could; he'd exhausted himself spinning happy dreams around the little furball, but Bunny had remained unresponsive…and then…

"We've lost him, Jack," Tooth had said. "Not - not entirely, he can still talk, but he's…he's…oh Jack, he's just-,"

"So…fucking USELESS," Jack shouted. Simultaneously, he picked up the candle and it's holder and threw it against the wall. The wax split, and the ceramic shattered, spraying all over the floor. Jack gritted his teeth and glared around the room, panting.

"And so is that fucking sandman," he spat, conjuring a snowball. Except it wasn't really snow; it was more like hail. Hard, cold, and unforgiving.

"Ooooh, he did all that he could," Jack mimicked Tooth in a falsetto voice. "Well, he obviously didn't do VERY FUCKING WELL."

With a shout, he launched the snowball at window. The glass shattered on impact, and the snowball went sailing through the window, into the night. All of this had been but a week ago, and the freshness still burned Jack. Bunny couldn't run; he couldn't fight, heck, when he talked he couldn't form full sentences and sounded like a toddler. According to the others, he could "vaguely understand" but wasn't able to "communicate or think normally, like a young child".

"J-Jack?"

Jack spun round, a vicious look on his face. It softened slightly as he saw Tooth hovering in the doorway, floating just above the ground. He quickly regained his composure and shook his head, clearing it.

"Uh - hey…hey Tooth, what's up?" he asked, his heartbeat still racing.

"It's um," Tooth turned her head and looked behind her. She returned her gaze to Jack after a few seconds. "He's um - he's here."

Jack cocked his head to the side in vague confusion.

"What?"

"It's um - it's time for you to take Bunny," Tooth said.

"Oh…oh right," Jack trailed off at the end of his sentence. Blinding pain and sorrow welled in his chest for a split-second, but he forced it back down. The Guardians had made a plan; for the first week, North, Tooth, and Sandy would take turns taking care of Bunny; but after a week, Bunny would be permanently transferred to Jack, in the hopes that there once close relationship would somehow help heal Bunny.

"I mean, you can wait if you want, I can-I can take him for a bit longer," Tooth offered.

"No, no, I've got it covered," Jack forced one of his confident smiles. "You go home and rest."

"Ok, great," Tooth smiled back. "He's just a - he's got his blanket, his drawing paper and pens, and a couple of small carrot slice-,"

"Yeah, it's all good," Jack cut her off, keeping the fake smile. "Just head on home."

"O-Okay," Tooth stuttered. "Well, goodnight Jack."

"Night Tooth," he smiled. She turned, and slowly flew out of vision. As soon as she did, Jack's smile drooped, and alarmingly transformed into a repulsed frown. He walked forward, and passed through the doorframe. Jack's apartment in North's workshop consisted of two rooms; the smaller room was a study where Jack often enjoyed spending hours reading, as five glass-covered antique bookshelves lined the walls. He also had his bed in there, so the room acted as his library and sleeping quarters. The other room, which was much larger than the first, consisted of a kitchen, a living room, a bathroom, and an area specifically designed to host a fireplace. Jack didn't tend to use the fire much; of course, it had never attracted him. But it was alight and blazing tonight, the fires crackling loudly as they puffed smoke up the chimney. The fireplace sat between the kitchen and the living room; the fireplace itself was pushed up against the right wall, while facing it on the left were two cushioned chairs and an end table. Tonight, sitting just in front of the fire, was a small pen. It had an open roof, but there was a cover that could be placed on top. Inside there was a small bowl of water, and some basic bedding. The pen was to act as Bunny's sleeping area for the next few weeks he was going to spend with Jack.

The winter spirit strode into the bigger room, and walked over to the fireplace area.

That's where he found the tiny little Bunny.

Bunny had his two little paws clutched around a tiny little leather bundle; Jack could see a few worn crayons and scraps of paper sticking out of the folds. The chubby little rabbit was trembling, his big eyes glancing around the room. His ears drooped slightly, and his bottom chin quivered.

_"Crayons? How pathetic,"_ Jack glared at the little creature, who was looking around fearfully. "_The greatest warrior the world has ever seen - reduced to fucking CRAYONS."_

Suddenly, a deep, painful anger blossomed in the back of Jack's mind. It spread rapidly like wildfire throughout his system, and his hands began to shake slightly as rage filled his chest. He took in a deep breath as for just a moment, darkness engulfed his vision. Then he was back, his sight blurred with red. Suddenly the argument that he'd had with Bunnymund became clear; not what it was about, but what had happened. How he had started it; but Bunnymund had made it worse. How the Pooka had torn Jack to shreds, insulting his mate repetitively. So much that Jack had nearly broken down crying. So much pain - something that two mates should never share between each other. Then Bunnymund had left in his own selfish stupor, and had returned as this. This pathetic excuse of an animal.

At least that's how Jack remembered it in the heat of his unnatural rage.

A cruel determination set on his face, Jack stepped out of the shadows, into the flickering light of the fireplace. Bunny's head snapped up so suddenly as Jack appeared that the little bunny stumbled slightly, and lost his footing. He fell backwards, plopping down onto his behind. He let out a small, short wine as his little bundle clattered open, and the contents rolled out across the floor. Jack watched as Bunny unsteadily got back onto his feet, and wobbled over to the various crayons scattered across the floor. With some difficulty, he picked each crayon and messily wrapped them back up in the bundle.

Then he turned and sheepishly faced Jack. Jack silently, his arms folded and his eyes squinted.

_"How pathetic_," he thought.

Bunny took a few tender steps forward, wobbling unsteadily as his ears drooped down his face. Trembling, the little fluffy Pooka slowly raised his head and looked at Jack.

"W...wha...wawa..wa...," Bunny mumbled.

"Spit it out," Jack said.

Bunny looked up at Jack, confused. His bottom lip was quivering wildly, and his eyes were darting from side to side.

"W-wa-wa," Bunny clamped his paws together, trembling. "W-Wack?"

"What?" Jack asked.

"W-Wack," Bunny repeated. "Mwe, mwe B-"

"What the hell are you saying?"

"W..wah...wa...Buh-mwe, mwe Bun-bwun-" Bunny spluttered.

Jack shook his head in disgust.

"Pathetic," Jack spat. "You're pathetic."

Mouth opening and shutting like a goldfish, Bunny looked around, confused. He awkwardly scratched his head with one of his small forepaws, before looking up at Jack again. Bunny took a shaky breath, and tried to remember what Tooth had told him that morning.

"Twooth - Twooth say, that, mwe, mwe must...ums..." Bunny furrowed his eyebrows in determination. "Twooth say, mwe must say I am Bunny!"

The fluffy little rabbit smiled, his eyes expanding and cheeks puckering joyfully as he looked up at Jack expectantly. His happy expression quickly melted as he met Jack's cold, hard stare. So much hate filled that deathly gaze that Bunny actually took a step backwards.

"W-Wack?" Bunny trembled wildly.

"I know your name, stupid," Jack snarled. Bunny whimpered, hugging himself at the harsh tone in Jack's voice. Confused, the poor little creature backed away. He unsteadily made his way back to his bundle of things, which he had left a few feet behind him. He shakily lifted the cloth, and slowly reached in. His fluffy little paws passed the paper and crayons and came into contact with a soft, fresh object. He pulled his hand out, and clamped between his little fingers was a carrot slice. He licked his lips, smacking them together greedily. He lifted the slightly-too-large carrot to his face, and opened his mouth. He sniffed in the fresh smell, his nose wiggling happily.

"HEY!"

Bunny's head snapped up in fear, his eyes wide and trembling, as Jack stormed across the room. The winter spirit violently lashed out, and grabbed the carrot from Bunny's tiny paws. The small guardian squealed wildly, covering his face with his hands as his ears flopped pathetically across his face.

"What do you think you're doing, Bunny?" Jack demanded.

"Cawwot!" Bunny said feebly. "Eat cawwot!"

"And who said you could do that?" Jack shouted.

"Mwe - mwe hungwy! Pwease Wack, mwe h-hungwy!" Bunny wailed, tears pricking at his eyes.

"TOO BAD!" Jack crushed the carrot in his fist, and discarded it on the floor. Then he raised his hand, and did something he would never dream of doing in his sane mind. He slapped Bunny. The hit streaked straight across Bunny's little furry face, and the tiny Pooka shrieked loudly. The force of the blow set the tiny furball tumbling across the cobblestone floor, and the Pooka ended up in a confused heap a few feet away. He was sobbing profusely, gripping the side of his cheek as it exploded in pain.

"IT HUWTS! IT HUWWWWTS!" Bunny wailed.

Jack walked over, and stood above the sobbing animal. He then reached down with his hand, and gripped Bunny around the waist. Bunny flailed wildly as he was lifted into the air. His chubby forepaws pounded desperately at Jack's fingers, and his legs flailed madly. He sobbed and hiccuped in pure fear as Jack brought them face to face.

"WHY ARE YOU LIKE THIS, YOU PATHETIC IDIOT," Jack shouted. He began to shake Bunny back and forth violently. "HOW COULD YOU DO THIS TO ME?"

Tears of his own were flowing down his cheeks. Tears of guilt and sorrow, but mainly of pure rage. Because all of this was Bunny's fault - _all _of it. He squeezed his fingers tightly around Bunny's stomach, and the little rabbit screamed even louder. Somewhere at the back of Jack's mind, something was yelling at him to stop. But there was something else; something much more powerful, much darker, much...newer, was egging him on. And he listened to it. It soon became difficult for little Bunny to even sob, as the shaking and squeezing kept breaking his wailing in mid-sob.

"I LOVED YOU," Jack shrieked, placing his mouth right next to Bunny's ear. "WE LOVED EACH OTHER!"

Bunny screamed as his ears received the full blast of Jack's shouts. Tears were clumping the little Pooka's fur together in thick matts, and his fluffy tail bobbed wildly as Jack shaked him.

"P-PA-PAWEE-PWE-PWEEASE SWOP!" Bunny sobbed. "PWEASE W-WA-A-A-A-A-WA-WACK! SWO-OP! SWOP!"

"Fine, you filthy animal," Jack growled. He stopped shaking Bunny. Dazed and in pain, the little rabbit panted wildly. Jack dropped the arm that was holding Bunny to his side. Bunny managed a strangled gasp as Jack's fingers slid from the Pooka's stomach to his neck in the process. Dangling by his neck, Bunny kicked his dangling legs wildly, struggling to breath. Jack strode over to Bunny's pen. Then he raised the little animal back up into the air, so he was being held just over the pen. With his index finger and thumb still clamped around Bunny's neck, Jack shook the poor, trembling rabbit one more time. Then he let go, and let Bunny fall.

Bunny fell from Jack's shoulder level, down to the ground. Which, for a small, fat Bunny is a very long way. Bunny crashed downwards onto the ground. In the process, he bashed his shoulder against one of the walls of the pen. He screamed, only to be cut off a second later as he landed in his water bowl. Water flew into the air as he crashed onto the ground, and came tumbling down on top of him. He squealed as the icy water doused him from head to tail, soaking him to the bone.

Keening weakly, he dragged himself towards the warm bedding at the opposite end of the pen. But then Jack's hand appeared from above them, and he grabbed them. The winter spirit snatched them just out of Bunny's reach, and tossed them onto the floor. Bunny whined as his only chance of warmth disappeared.

Soaked and fearful, Bunny collapsed into a messy heap on the cold, hard ground. He moaned softly, as he panted. He heard the fire hissing as a stream of water put it out, and he saw the light quickly fade from the room. Then, with one last shred of effort, he looked upwards.

Jack was looking down at him, with a face carved with fury and disgust. In his hand, he was brandishing what looked like a wooden plank. The winter spirit spat into the pen, his spit smashing straight into Bunny's face. The little Pooka watched as Jack slowly lowered the plank, and covered the open top of the pen. Then there was nothing but darkness, and Bunny curled up, sobbing and shivering. He keened for what seemed like hours, before finally sleep took him.

Just before his eyes closed, he let out one last hiccupy sob.

"I woves you Wack," he mumbled heartbrokenly. "I woves you."

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**So there you go! Again, this chapter was quite dark and I know that most ROTG fanfic readers (including me), don't like to see Jack the way he was in this story. But, if you didn't pick it up while reading, there's a bit more going on than you might realise. **

**Please R&R, and I'll have Chapter 2 up soon! **

**~FOM**


	2. Chapter 2: Carrots

**I just want to let you guys know - I have gotten a couple of complaints about "Animal Cruelty". I completely understand where you may be coming from, as the chapters in this story will contain a fair amount of animal torture (not a lot from Jack though). But please understand where I'm coming from as the author; these chapters, despite being horrible, will (hopefully) help you pity Bunny, and help connect with him better, which will make the overall experience much more effective. **

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The winter spirit's eyes fluttered open lazily. Jack's room was illuminated by a single shaft of cold, blue morning light seeping through a crack in the curtains. The rest was dark and silent.

Jack smiled contentedly, and yawned slightly. Even though he loved travelling, it was good to have an apartment he could return to so close to his friends.

He sat up in bed, and swung his legs over the side so that his feet touched the cold wooden floorboards. Suddenly, he vaguely became aware of a stinging feeling in the back of his neck.

Gingerly, he reached up with his palm and rubbed his neck. He flinched as his neck blossomed in pain.

"Damnit…" he gasped.

He held up his fingers in front of him. A light speckle of blood decorated his finger tips.

"What the…?"

He got up, and hurriedly walked over to a rarely used dresser at the opposite end of his office/bedroom. He threw open the drawers, searching for some sort of mirror. He eventually found one, and took it out, slamming the drawer shut. He held it up, and tilted it ever so slightly.

It took a few minutes, but Jack finally angled it so that he could see some of his neck.

He squinted into the glass at what he saw.

"Huh…?"

At the back of his neck, he could see a large red welt. It was about the size of his thumb, and seemed to be inflamed. A small trickle of blood was seeping from what looked like two bite marks in the centre of the welt. Jack poked it gently, and heat seared across his neck.

"Agh!" Jack growled, retracting his hand. "What the hell is that?"

His thoughts were interrupted when he became aware of a distressed noise emitting from the adjoining room. The noise was high-pitched and annoyingly loud.

"What is it now?" Jack gritted his teeth as the noise crashed against his ears.

He dropped the mirror, the bite mark momentarily forgotten. He stormed out of his room, and walked into the fireplace area.

The noise was coming from Bunny's little wooden pen, which was still covered by the wooden cutting board Jack had slammed down the previous night.

The rage inside of Jack blossomed again, his neck beginning to burn and pulse dully.

Bunny was wailing, and Jack could hear his paws desperately scuffling against the walls of the pen.

Disdainfully, Jack walked over and crouched down. He reached out, and pulled the wooden board off of the top of the pen.

Light burst through into the darkness, illuminating a trembling Bunny. He was crouched down on all fours, and he was scuffling back and forth desperately. He would race to onside, and furiously scratch at the wall while wailing loudly, then he would race across to the other side and do the same thing.

Jack observed the Bunny's fur was ruffled wildly, tufts raggedly sticking out. His fur was matted with small pieces of wood shrapnel, and his tiny fluffy paws were pierced with splinters that left small trickles of blood dribbling down his paws.

When Bunny saw Jack, he let out a heart-wrenching sob, and held out his tiny arms towards Jack.

"WAAAAACK!" the little furball cried. "WAAAAACK!"

Jack rolled his eyes, taking pleasure in the little Pooka's pain.

"What's wrong Bun-Bun?" Jack said, putting on his best "concerned" voice.

"HUNGWY!" Bunny wailed, extending his paws even further. "MWE SO HUNWGY!"

"Awww," Jack drawled sarcastically. "Don't worry Bunnywunny, we'll get you filled up."

Bunny continued to wail as Jack reached down and ever so gently lifted Bunny from the pen. The chubby little Pooka curled his arms around Jack's fingers, and sobbed uncontrollably.

"Pw-wease W-aaaack," Bunny whined, oblivious to Jack's sarcasm. "Cawwot! Pwease! I wants cawwots!

"Oh you want a carrot? Jack asked. "But of course Bun-Bun!"

He looked around, and found the leather bundle that contained Bunny's crayons, paper, books, and…carrots. Using one of his hands, he reached out and slipped his fingers under the flap. He rustled around in it, and found what he was looking for. He pulled a small carrot slice out, and waved it in the air.

"Would you look at this, eh Bunny?" he said as he sat down, Bunny cradled in one arm, and the carrot held aloft in the other.

Bunny's eyes widened at the sight of the carrot, and he feebly raised his hands up towards it.

"C-Cawwot," he mumbled.

"Do you like carrots, Bunny?" Jack asked, waving the carrot just out of Bunny's reach.

Bunny nodded, his ears drooping as a small pink tongue darted out and licked his lips.

"Do you want to eat it, Bunny?" Jack asked.

"Pw-pwease Wacks," Bunny said meekly. "Mwe wants to eat cawwot."

"No," Jack snarled.

Bunny's eyes widened in distress, and he flailed his arms wildly. Jack snapped the carrot slice between his fingers, and let the remains tumble to the floor.

Bunny squealed, and struggled out of Jack's grasp. He nearly made it to the carrot pieces, but Jack's hand lashed out.

With unnatural strength, Jack clamped hands around Bunny's lower back and pulled him back. With a strangled scream, Bunny flailed his limbs madly, desperately reaching for the carrot pieces on the cobblestone floor.

Jack transferred his grip and clamped his fingers the scruff of Bunny's neck. He held the Bunny up to his face, and crammed their faces together, squishing Bunny's tiny nose against him.

"No. More. Carrots. EVER." Jack raged.

"N-n-nooo-noooh, pwa-pwease W-Whaaack," Bunny sobbed, weakly trying to push himself away by placing his fluffy paws on Jack's cheek. "I WANTS CAWWOTS!"

"No more _CAH-WOHTS_" Jack mocked.

"W-a-aaack! Mwe hungwy!" Bunny wailed.

"If you're hungry, eat this," Jack said. He reached out with his free hand, and closed his fingers around a piece of bread on the ground. He had spotted it seconds before; it was a small chunk of a baguette, that must have dropped off of a dinner plate at some point. It had landed next to the fireplace, and it was now covered in charred skin, grey soot, and a thin film of dust and spider web; it must have also been from some months ago, because it was hard and stale, and resembled a rock more than anything else.

Jack gripped the chunk, and shoved it into the tiny Pooka's small mouth.

Bunny gagged on the massive chunk of food as dust filled his throat. He spat it out, and hiccuped several times, his ears bouncing wildly.

"HEY! I THOUGHT YOU WERE HUNGRY, BUN-BUN!" Jack shouted.

"NOOO PWEASE WACK!" Bunny shrieked. "NO TASTES GOOD!"

"Too bad," Jack snarled. "Eat what you're given!"

Then he stuffed the little Bunny's rabbit with the bread again, and simultaneously forced the little furball's mouth to close down around it with his fingers.

"You better fucking eat it," Jack growled. "I'm going out, and when I get back, I expect ALL OF IT to be gone. OKAY!?"

He let go Bunny's jaw, and stood up. As he did so, Bunny tumbled onto the ground. He whimpered, but the bread remained clamped between his tiny teeth. Shakily, Bunny wobbled to his feet, and watched Jack walk away with a growing expression of sorrow on his tiny face.

Jack turned round, and walked towards the door. He stopped and turned when Bunny let out a high-pitched squeal. Jack looked at Bunny, to find the little creature standing in the middle of the room, his little paws extended. Small tears flooded his cheeks, but his big green eyes remained wide open, a hopeful look shining deep within them.

"Hfufg?" Bunny tried, the chunk of bread still muffling him.

Jack shook his head in distain, and turned round.

"HFGHFF!" Bunny squealed louder, desperately trying to get Jack's attention.

But Jack simply opened the door, and left the room, firmly shutting the door behind him. A lock clicked, and then everything was silent. Except for the soft sobs of little Bunny, who still had his paws extended towards where Jack had been a few seconds ago.

_"Hugs?_" Bunny thought, a single tear slowly sliding down his little furry cheek.

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**Horrible, I know. Kill me now. I promise next chapter will be a bit more fluffy and a little less tortur-ey. **

**Please R&R, and let me know what you think!**

**~FOM**


	3. Chapter 3: A Drawing

**I don't even know...**

**I have nothing to say about this chapter; it's pretty harsh. **

**Rated: M++ **

**For: Harsh language, physical abuse, emotional hurt**

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Jack returned from his trip a few hours later. He had taken a short journey to Switzerland, where some children in a small town had been aching for a surprise day off school. On that particularly drowsy Monday morning, their usually depressed faces had lit up as an unexpected blizzard flew through the town; by the evening, ten feet of snow decorated the streets, and school was cancelled for possibly three days. Satisfied, Jack had returned back to North's workshop in the evening.

As he approached the door, he smirked slightly. He wondered what had happened to the unattended Bunny - what harm might he have caused his tiny little self? Jack's smirk widened into a devilish smile as possibilities raced through his head. He reached out to the door, and flicked the latch open. Then he swung the door open, and stepped inside.

Immediately, Bunny's tiny ears shot up. The fat little Bunny sat up from where he had been crouching, and turned his head around. As soon as he saw the winter spirit in the doorway, his big green eyes widened joyfully and a big smile spread across his face. He gleefully leapt to his feet, and began bounding over to Jack.

Despite the morning's harsh treatment from the Guardian of Fun, the fluffy Pooka was delighted to see Jack. The cruelty Jack had shown Bunny had happened hours ago; which for a fat little Bunny that is easily distracted, is a very long time. There was only a vague feeling of insecurity that hung over the tiny Pooka.

Bunny bounced across the room on all fours, going in a happy zig-zag pattern, bouncing like a rubber ball off of the ground. When he got to Jack, he stood up on his hind legs and placed his two fluffy little front paws just above Jack's heal. He looked up, a huge smile on his face, his green eyes shining.

"Wack!" he squealed in delight. "Wook Wack, wook what I dwew!"

"What?" Jack asked.

"I dwew!" Bunny repeated happily, clapping his little paws together. "Comes and see!"

He spun round, and bounded back over to where had had been. Jack looked over, and could vaguely see a mess of drawing paper, crayons, and some various scraps of -

Jack's head snapped up, and looked around the room. His eyes widened in dismay as he spotted a scene of turmoil scattered across the floor and counters in the kitchen area. The kitchen lay directly opposite to where Bunny was shuffling around his papers, rolling crayons around clumsily with his fluffy forepaws. Jack leaned his staff against the wall as he hastily walked over to the kitchen. When he got there, he found complete chaos. Tupperware containers lay upturned, their content spilled across the counters. The ceramic bowls lay broken and scattered in hundreds of little powdery pieces; while the various fruits and vegetables that had been inside them were spilling their guts onto the through gashes in their skin caused by the ceramic shards. The tap was running, and the sink was beginning to overflow, soapy bubbles spilling down the sides of the wooden counters.

But there was one very distinct trail; a combination of biscuit crumbs, celery leaves, and lemon rindes. It sloped slowly from the counter, down a makeshift passage way created out of several stacked books and a few cookie boxes, and wound it's way to Bunny's scattered artwork. Jack became aware of the sound of Bunny's lips smacking together furiously as he munched on something while he gathered his artwork.

Jack's blood turned to ice; and a bubbling rage filled his chest.

Oblivious to the Guardian's anger, little Bunny stood up and turned round. He was carrying a regular-sized piece of paper; but for the tiny Pooka it was a couple sizes too large for him to manage, so he struggled to hold it properly. With each end clamped tightly in between his fluffy little fingers, he wobbled over to Jack unsteadily, teetering from side to side. He stuck his tiny pink tongue out between his teeth in determination, his eyes squinting in focus. Eventually he managed to make it over so that he was standing in front of Jack. Struggling, he lifted the piece of paper over his head, so Jack could see. Little Bunny couldn't see anything but Jack's feet because of the way the paper covered him, but he waited patiently, a goofy smile on his face.

Then he saw Jack's feet move, and turn away from him. Confused, the little Bunny let the paper slide of his upraised arms and onto the ground. When he looked up at Jack, he found the winter spirit to be faced the other direction, towards the kitchen.

"W-Wack?" Bunny asked anxiously, gripping his drawing in his fluffy little paws.

There was a moment of silence and then -

"Yes, Bunny?" Jack's voice was steely, and his eyes glinted with pure rage.

But Bunny couldn't tell; he was too excited. He happily waddled over to where Jack was, and lifted up the paper again. He was still behind the spirit, so he was slightly muffled when he talked.

"Wook!" he smiled, his chubby cheeks bouncing slightly. "Wack, I dwew a pwicture!"

Jack ignored him, and walked towards the kitchen. When he got there, he began cleaning up, turning off the tap and grabbing a dishcloth to wipe away the soap. Indifferent, Bunny happily waddled alongside him, and began to explain his drawing. When Jack stopped walking, he sidled up so that he was just next the winter spirit, and placed his fluffy little paw on the paper.

"Sow," he said matter-of-factly. "I use gween to dwa gwass."

Jack swept the small scraps of food into one pile on the counter.

"And den," Bunny struggled slightly with the long sentences, but he continued, moving his paw across the page to another point. "And den, me put sky in bwoo."

Jack bent down and picked up a few pieces of ceramic from the destroyed plates.

"Mwe also dwaw some fwowers," he giggled. "And some cawwots."

Jack stopped, putting the dishcloth down, and exhaled loudly through his nose.

"Ands, ands - ands, here is da sun!" Bunny exclaimed gleefully.

"And den, finawwy dere is-"

"DOES IT LOOK LIKE I CARE?" Jack shouted.

Bunny squealed, taking a surprised step backwards, and flinging his arms up in front of his face like he had been hit. Terrified eyes glistened with tears as Jack glared at him.

"Bw-bw-bwut W-wha-wha-w-w-Wack," Bunny stuttered. "Pwi-pwic-"

"I DON'T CARE ABOUT YOUR STUPID PICTURE!" Jack screamed. "LOOK WHAT YOU DID TO MY ROOM!"

He reached down and twisted the little Pooka's head upwards so that it could see the destruction that still littered the area. The little Bunny squealed as Jack's fingers dug into his neck, but he kept his eyes open, tears beginning to spill down his cheeks. He weakly tried to pry Jack's fingers off, but it was no use.

"WHY DID YOU DO THIS!?" Jack shouted. "HUH?"

"I was h-h-hungawies," Bunny wailed, trembling. "I nweeded fwood!"

"I GAVE YOU FOOD!" Jack snarled. "IF YOU WERE HUNGRY, YOU WERE MEANT TO EAT THAT BREAD!"

"I dwid!" Bunny sobbed. "But no make twummy fweel good! Mwe-mwe has to used tw-tw-twoilet!"

A sudden thought struck Jack. He looked up at the bathroom door, and found that it was still shut, as it had been that morning. He could vaguely make out what looked like scratch marks on the lower door from Bunny's paws, but there were no marks near the doorknob. Because Bunny was much to small to reach the doorknob...so, he must have-

Jack turned back to face Bunny, an ugly glare on his face.

"Did...did you-?" Jack spat on the ground, and stood up, sending Bunny unsteadily crashing down onto his bottom. Jack got up, and hastily walked around the room. Every so often he would duck down, looking under a dresser or in a corner. Eventually, he found what he was looking for. As he knelt down next to the chair, the dim evening light seeping through the windows, the outline of Bunny's droppings coud be seen clearly. Seething with blinding hot rage, Jack slowly stood up. He turned round, his face set in a cruel glare.

Bunny was frozen, fixed to one spot. He was trembling wildly, part of his drawing crumpled between his paws. His eyes were wide and frightened and his little nose quivered anxiously. Jack slowly began walking towards the tiny rabbit menacingly. Bunny whimpered slightly as the angered spirit approached him. When Jack stopped, and stood silently in front of the little furball, Bunny cowered, trying to make himself as small as possible by bending his head and covering himself with the paper.

"Let...me...see it," Jack said softly.

Bunny raised his gaze to Jack, confused.

"Wha-?"

"Let me see the picture, Bunny" Jack snarled.

With a small whimper, Bunny held the picture up. Jack snatched it roughly, hitting the furball's paws as he did so. Bunny let out a small squeal of pain and clamped his paws together as they stung wildly. Jack held the picture up, and looked at it.  
The piece of paper had been crudely decorated with a pleasant scene; lush green grass ran along the lower half of the page, while a bright blue sky decorated the top half. A messy sun stood in the corner, while flowers and the tops of carrots decorated the ground. But the main focus of the Pooka's pathetic drawing was in the center; standing disproportionately amidst the grass was Jack and Bunny.  
They both had big smiles on their faces, and they were holding hands. Although Bunny's arm was slightly long, he was still in his tiny form, and had been shaped with a blur of dark blue crayon lines. Jack, on the other hand, stood much taller, and was crudely drawn with light blue, brown, white, and grey. In the hand that wasn't holding Bunny's, he held his staff aloft. But then, Jack noticed something else; a very untidy large scrawl across the right corner of the page. The words were only just decipherable, but jack was fairly sure they read:

_Wak + Buniy_

Jack rolled his eyes in disgust.

_Jack + Bunny_

"How adorable," Jack mocked. "Except, you missed one thing."

He bent down and picked up the dark blue crayon that had been used to create the little Bunny in the picture. He put it on the paper, and drew. The crayon was placed on Bunny, and Jack overrode the existing lines, turning Bunny's little body into a complete circle. He then quickly drew an arrow pointing at Bunny, and at the end of it put one word: _"Fat"_.

"Yes - you see Bunny," Jack said matter-of-factly. "You didn't make yourself fat enough."

Bunny looked around, confused, biting his bottom lip.

"F-fwat?" he mumbled.

"Yes, Bunny. Fat." Jack snapped. "Because you're a fat, stupid bunny that nobody cares about."

Then he threw the paper. It spun through the air, whizzing wildly. Bunny let out a screech of grief as the paper flew through the air, and crashed against the wall. The little rabbit desperately raced across the stone floor, his sides wobbling wildly as the paper slowly float down from where it had collided. The paper was steadily falling straight into the fireplace, which was directly below it. Bunny let out a loud sob as the paper came closer and closer; and then, just as he was in reach to catch it, his chubby little arms extended, he slipped. The fat little Pooka went tumbling, sprawling out across the ground. He had just enough time to look up and see his precious drawing hid the burning embers, and ignite. Flames danced across the paper, burning it into little pieces as Bunny wailed in grief.

"NOOOOOO!" he sobbed. "WAAAACK! NOOOOO!"

"WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE, YOU PATHETIC ANIMAL?" Jack shouted. "YOU THINK YOU CAN JUST THROW FOOD AROUND AND THEN TAKE A SHIT ON MY FLOOR?"

Jack reached down, and grabbed Bunny around the chest. As he did so, he crushed Bunny against the ground, and the wind was knocked from the little furball in a meek squeal. Panting wildly, Bunny was lifted up into the air. He coughed several times, struggling for breath.

"P-pwa-pwea-pwah-pw-pw," he spluttered desperately.

"Fuck you."

Jack turned, and walked into his bedroom/office area. There, he walked up to the desk and slammed Bunny down. The rabbit squealed as he crashed onto the surface of the spruce desk, and when Jack let go of him, he collapsed onto his stomach in a sad heap. He lay there trembling, his teeth clattering wildly in fear. He heard Jack shuffling around in the background, and then there was silence. A few heavy thuds indicated Jack walking over to the table again.

Weekly, little Bunny began to slowly crawl across the table, pathetically putting one paw in front of the other, and struggling to pull his fat body across the splintery table. When Jack saw this, he gritted his teeth in anger.

"Where do you think you're going, BUNNY?"

As he shouted Bunny's name, he slammed his fist down on Bunny's back, pining him to the table. The little bunny screamed loudly, writhing wildly under Jack's grasp.

"TWOOOOTH!" Bunny wailed. "PWEASE! TWOOOTH! MWE SCWAWED! TWOOOOOOTH!"

Anger filled Jack's mind as he heard Bunny - _his _Bunny, the one that belonged to _him_ - screaming for Tooth. That..._whore_. He extended his arm towards the door as Bunny continued to squirm violently under his hand, sobbing. A cold gust of wind burst through the windows, and slammed the door shut. A thick layer of ice coated the ceiling and the walls, soundproofing the room. Then the windows closed, and the wind was gone. _  
_

"Don't you fucking _dare _call for that bitch," Jack snarled right next to Bunny's ear. "You're _mine_. Understand? _Mine__!" _

He let go of Bunny, and raised himself back up to his full height. Bunny tensed, and his little hind legs nervously pawed at the desk, preparing the little animal to bolt when he had the chance. Jack didn't notice, and he turned away, reaching for a rag that lay on one of the bookshelves. When he turned round, Bunny was gone. Growling, Jack spun around, looking for the fat little Pooka. It was easy to find the little Guardian; because his escape had been blocked. By the door. He was racing back and forth across the width of the door, desperately scratching and pawing at the bottom of it. He was sobbing profusely and wailing loudly.

"TWOOTH! PWEASE TWOOTH! HEWP! HE-HE-HEWP! MWE SCWAWED!" the little Bunny cried. "MWE HUWT! PWEASE! WACK HUWT MWE! TWOOOOOOOOTH! TWOOOOTH PWEASE!"

Enraged, Jack stormed over and clamped his hands around Bunny's lower section. He hoisted Bunny into the air, the little animal still screaming. Dangling, Bunny was carried back over to the table. Jack literally threw the little animal down onto the desk; Bunny landed head first, something in his shoulder cracking. Then he tumbled head-over-heels until he landed on his back, screaming and sobbing.

"N-N-NOOOO WACK! PWEAAASEE NO HUWT MWEE!" he begged. "PWEASEEEEEEE! W-WA-W-WA-WA-WA-TWOOOOOTH! TWOOOO-"

The poor creature was cut short as Jack took the rag from the bookshelf and gagged him; Bunny spluttered and retched as the piece of cloth was stuffed down his throat, and tightly tied around his neck. Jack firmly flipped him over onto his stomach. Then he lashed out and gripped Bunny's fluffly little cottenball tail. Bunny tried to scream through his gag, but the most he managed was a high-pitched muffled keening. Jack lifted the fluffy ball up, and subsequently Bunny's lower half with it. His bottom hoisted into the air, Bunny trembled anxiously, no idea what was about to happen next.

With his free hand, Jack reached for his staff. It flew into his hand, and he gripped it tightly.

"You made a mistake, Bunny," he growled.

Then he lifted the staff above his head, and swung it in a wide arc.

The staff slammed into Bunny's soft furry bottom; causing intense pain to shoot up the poor furball's spine. Bunny screamed into his gag as his hips and his legs bucked wildly for a few seconds. Then his lower half went limp with numbness, and the abused Pooka trembled madly, tears spilling down his cheeks and soaking his gag. Jack raised the staff again, and once more swung it. When it came in contact with Bunny's behind, the little fat animal once more bucked his lower half for a few seconds, and then he went limp. Jack hit him with the staff ten more times, each time he swung harder and faster, and as it went on, Bunny became weaker. By the fifth stroke, all the fluffy little rabbit could manage was a minuet squeak, even though his legs still kept wildly flailing every time the rough wood made impact.

When Jack was finished, he lazily placed the staff against the wall, and clapped his hands together. Bunny's bottom was bright red, and beaten raw. The little animal was shaking terribly, and his paws were pawing erratically at the wooden surface of the desk. Long scratch marks had ripped the weak surface of the table, which had been caused by Bunny desperately scratching at the wood to deal with the pain. Now, he was lying pathetically, his chest heaving and silent tears rolling down his cheeks.  
Jack walked out of the room for a few seconds, and then reappeared. He was carrying a large dish cloth in his hands, and when he walked over to Bunny, he lifted the small rabbit's bottom in the air again.

Bunny weakly protested as Jack threaded the material between Bunny's legs, and then tied it around his waist.

"There you go - a diaper!" Jack smiled. "Just what stupid babies need."

Then he lifted Bunny up under the arms, and walked into the other room. He carelessly dropped the rabbit onto the ground from a few feet above it, and the fluffy little Pooka squealed loudly as his raw bum crashed against the stony floor. He collapsed, starting to keen loudly once more. Jack stood over him for a few seconds, expectantly. After a while, he became annoyed for no particular reason.

_"Most likely just how fucking stupid this animal is," _he thought to himself.

"Hey, Bunny. Stop being lazy," he demanded, crouching down. "Get up."

He slapped the terrified animal's behind with the flat of his palm; hard. Bunny squealed loudly through his gag, and scuffled across the ground unsteadily on his four paws. He skittered across the ground, sobbing, until he reached the fireplace. He tucked himself away in a corner where the edge of the fireplace met the wall. Despite the fact that it was dusty and cob-webbed, he cowered in the corner, pressing himself as tight as he could against the wall, trying to make himself as small as possible.. He sobbed loudly through his gag, and he cradled his fragile behind in the darkest and coolest part of the corner. His eyes were firmly shut in grief, as tears rolled through his eyelids as he cried over Jack - the person who he loved with all his little Bunny heart.

He heard a loud clang, and looked up to see Jack standing over him. In his hand was a big, bronze cooking pot. Jack lowered it down over Bunny, covering the harrowed Pooka in darkness. Then he left, and retired to his bedroom.

There was dim, cold moonlight seeping through some small gaps around the rim of the pot. With the help of the light, Bunny spotted something lying trapped under the rim of the pot. He tenderly scuffled over, and used his tiny little teeth to pry it out from under the pot. He shakily held up to the light, and he wailed loudly through his gag when he saw it.

It was a small, burnt piece of paper.

A piece of drawing paper, blackened and signed around the edges.

And there were two figures in the center of it; Jack, and Bunny - holding hands.

Bunny began to cry, soft, heart-broken tears rolling down his cheeks. He collapsed onto the ground, gripping the piece of paper to his heart. He curled himself into a tiny, fat, fluffy ball. Then he raised the paper up to his face one last time, and let out a single, hiccupy sob.

"Mwe sowwy Wack," he whispered. "I onwy wants to wove you."

Then the pain and the fatigue of the day caught up with him, and he fell asleep, the piece of paper still clutched in his tiny paws.

* * *

**God I'm a horrible person. I broke my promise; but I swear next chapter this are really going to start happening in the story, and we're going to find out why all of this happened. **

**Please R&R! **

**~FOM**


	4. Chapter 4: Elysium Fields

**Sorry this chapter is so short; I've been really tied down with school work, and so I had to cut this short. I promise that the next chapter will be longer; and the plot will definitely unravel like I promised it would in this chapter. So sorry about that!**

* * *

When Jack's eyes fluttered open, he immediately grabbed his head and moaned loudly. He rolled out of bed and fell to the floor, clutching at his forehead as an intense pain rocketed across his head.

He let out a strangled yell as the pain thumped against his skull sharply, causing him to kick at the air randomly. He sat, paralysed in pain, groaning painfully.

_"If this is Karma," _Jack grunted. _"Then she is a bitch."_

Jack _did_ actually know Karma, and she was rather nice, but that was another story.

"Come on…" Jack mumbled. "COME ON!"

He slammed his head against the side of the bed, and the pain disappeared. Surprised, he looked up, blinking rapidly. He shook his head to make sure he wasn't hallucinating, and he shakily got to his feet.

"What was that?" he said out loud.

Then he noticed it. Sitting on a small birch side table that Jack kept next to his bedside, there was a stained, rotting envelope. In a limp, faint script a single word was written across the front.

_Jack_.

Jack reached out and grabbed it, lifting it up into the light. It was sealed with a deep purple wax, an a large "M" was printed in the centre of it. Jack squinted at the letter, and he thought he could see what looked like a tiny nightingale.

Without hesitation, Jack ripped the letter open. The paper tore, a clean rip down the middle. A purple leaflet fell into Jack's palm, neatly cut and perfectly designed. The winter spirit flipped it over, and found a simple message written on the back;

_Jack._

_Want to know what happened to Bunnymund?_

_Why he is so…pathetic?_

_Ah, isn't it ironic._

_Regardless of that - meet me at the Champagne Fields. I'm sure you know of them?_

_Come whenever, I don't leave here much._

_~M_

Jack slid the leaflet back into the envelope slowly and smoothly, and then crumpled it back into his pocket. He turned round, and looked out the window, over the rolling ice slopes, where he knew the Champagne Fields lay just beyond.

Jack walked into the main room, his staff in hand. He was just crossing the fireplace when he heard something clang against metal. He spun round, and found himself facing the fireplace. He noticed that the bronze bowl he had placed over Bunny the night before was shuffling back and forth a few centimetres confusedly. Every few minutes, something would bang against the top of the bowl, and a week squeal followed by a small sob would fill the room.

Jack walked over to the slowly moving bowl.

He bent down agilely, and whisked the bowl off of Bunnymund.

The little Pooka squealed, falling back onto his side and flinging his hands up to cover his eyes. He began trembling violently, letting out a few quivering sobs.

Jack reached out and roughly grabbed the fat little Pooka around the stomach. Bunny flailed wildly, bucking his hips madly as his ears bounced unhappily across his face.

"NOOOO WACK!" Bunny sobbed. "PWWWEAAASEE NO HUWT MWE!"

Jack paused, staring at the terrified creature.

"P-p-pwease," Bunny mumbled tiredly. "N-no huwt mwe…"

Jack stood, Bunny limply dangling from his hand. The winter spirit turned round, and walked to the opposite end of the room, where the chairs and coffee tables of the living room sat.

"Don't worry, Bunny," Jack smiled briskly. "Lucky for you, I'm gonna be busy for an hour or two."

Bunny keened softly like an unhappy kitten, and awkwardly curled himself up as best he could in Jack's grasp, trembling wildly. Jack paused next to the sofa, and looked around. His icy blue eyes danced around the room, until they finally came to lay on a door standing to the left of him.

The bathroom.

He grinned devilishly, a diabolic idea forming in his mind.

He turned towards the door, and strode over to it confidently. He entered the small room, and shut the door behind him, locking it. The bathroom was plain and simple; a bath with a shower nozzle on the wall, a toilet, a sink with a mirror, and a rack of towels. The floor and lower half of the wall were cobbled with blue ceramic tile.

Jack ignored everything but the toilet. He knelt down next to it, and flipped the lid open. It clanged against the tank of the toilet with a loud bang. Bunny flinched, shakily trying to cover his ears, but his little paws were too short.

The winter spirit adjusted his grip, firmly grabbing the fluffy little Pooka's feet. He roughly hung Bunny upside down, dangling him in the air with his paws and ears hanging towards the ground. Jack shook him back and forth a few times, as Bunny sobbed loudly.

"P-PW-PW-PW-PWE-W-WEASE," Bunny struggled to form words as his little body was wracked violently.

"Remember when you took a shit on my floor?" Jack taunted. "Because you were too tiny to open the door?"

Jack got down onto his knees from his crouching position, and lifted Bunny into the air, dangling him over the toilet bowl.

"Well, this time, I'll make sure it won't happen!" Jack smiled warmly at the little rabbit. Bunny's lip quivered, confused. He shakily looked back and forth across the room, and then he looked at Jack. Unsure, a weak, questioning smile spread across his face.

Jack nodded his head, letting a small, fake laugh escape his cold lips. Nervously, Bunny giggled, his smile widening. Jack let his forged laugh grow, until it filled the room. Then Bunny began to giggle loudly, his big eyes shining happily.

_"You stupid, stupid animal," _Jack thought silently.

"Hey, Bunny," Jack said, his false smile still painfully written on his face. "Guess what?"

"Wes Wacks?" Bunny giggled innocently.

"You're pathetic," Jack snarled.

Then he let go of the rabbit, and Bunny fell through the air, screaming.

"NOOO! WAAAAAAAAAAACK!" Bunny shrieked, fresh tears streaming down his face in mid-air. Then he crashed into the porcelain bowl of the toilet, and slipped down the smooth surface. He splashed into the water, desperately trying to get a grip on the slick surface of the bowl. He disappeared under the water, kicking wildly as he thrashed around. The poor little creature gasped for air, his little nose barely managing to make it out of the water.

His terrified eyes trembled madly as he saw the toilet lid slowly close, darkness filling the toilet bowl. He desperately tried to scramble up the curve of the bowl once more, but he slipped again, and with a frightened wail, his fluffy little paws extended upwards, his big green eyes watery and his little heart broken, Bunny fell backwards into the water.

* * *

Jack landed in the Elysium Fields an hour later. His bare feet softly fell onto the dusty golden dirt, and he looked around him. The fields themselves were ancient; a place of magic and wonder. Something that had been mentioned in the history and mythology books since the beginning of time. But few knew that it hosted a different purpose; to host all of the magic in the Guardian's world.

The fields were made up of transparent, golden wheat strands, that only appeared when the sunlight caught it. Millions of strands caused the fields to ripple majestically. Jack looked around cautiously, squinting his eyes.

Leaning against his staff, he regarded his surroundings. Then suddenly, he felt a light tap on his back. He spun round, and he came face-to-face with a tall, dark, robed figure. Jack had only a few seconds to let out a surprised yelp, when the mystery man lashed out, and purple dust flew in front of Jack's eyes.

"Hello, Jack Frost," the man whispered.

* * *

**Hope you enjoyed this short little chapter! Promise that more will be on the way soon. **

**~FOM**


	5. Chapter 5: Nightshade

**This chapter contains no torture/fluff at all. This is purely a plot chapter - it was surprisingly harder to write than the other ones. Please R&R and enjoy it!**

* * *

The cold, stony floor greeted Jack's gaze as he slowly woke. His eyelids fluttered awkwardly for a few minutes, but then they shot open as the memory of the cloaked man filled the Guardian of Fun's mind. Jack bolted upwards into a sitting position, reaching for his staff.

Which, of course, wasn't there. He looked around, panting. He was in a low-roofed wooden shack; rotting shelves, a table, a chair or two, a cauldron, and a bed were precisely placed around the room. There were two windows; both simple wood frames without glass. Jack could see bright daylight outside; and beautiful tall golden-leafed trees stretching out across the hills of the Elysium Fields.

_"At least I'm still in the fields..." _Jack thought, rubbing his forehead with the butt of his palm. He shakily stood up, and studied the shack a bit better. A padlocked door stood adjacent to him, while another door stood behind him. He walked over to both of them and tugged, but neither opened. He slid his finger over the mildew, and when he pushed against the wood, he felt it sag under his grasp.

_"It's weak enough to break through." _Jack considered this for a second, when a voice echoed out behind him.

"I wouldn't do that if I was you."

Jack spun round, searching for the voice. He found it in the form of a figure lazily sitting on top a cupboard on the other side of the room. He wore a dark black cloak, decorated with purple snaking strands of purple fabric and lilac beads. His face was hidden in the shadow of his hood, and his hands were covered by black silk gloves.

"Who are you?" Jack demanded. "Why am I here?"

"Why, Jack," the figure snickered. "Surely you're here because of my letter?"

"Y-you...you sent it?" Jack shook his head, confused.

The figure laughed loudly, slapping his knee with his palm.

"You're in worse condition than I thought!" he chuckled. "Of course I did!"

The figure dropped off of the cupboard and dropped softly onto the ground. He raised himself up, and crossed his arms, regarding Jack. Jack stared into the darkness of his hood, his bright blue eyes shining warily. The figure let out a small chuckle, and then raised his hand up, and gripped his hood. Then he pulled it back, off of his head.

As he did so, he transformed. Through a blur of pulsing air, dancing particles and dark flashes of black and red, Jack could clearly see a young teenager's face materialize, a dark smirk riddled across his face. His hair was pure black, like the shadows that encircled the room, his skin pale, but his eyes shone a bright, clear purple. He looked Jack straight into the eyes, and his smirk extended into a gleeful grin.

"W-Who are you?" Jack asked warily.

"Well you're Jack Frost," the boy said, cocking his head to the side.

"I know what my name is," Jack gritted his teeth. "What's yours?"

"Oh, I thought -" the boy's eyes flared and when he opened his mouth, it was Jack's enraged voice that echoed out across the room. "I know what your name is, stupid."

Jack's eyes widened, dumbfounded.

"Remember that?" the boy asked, returning to his normal, deep voice. "Poor little Bunny,"

Jack let out a small growl. He took a defensive step forward, and raised his fist.

"Enough with the games, just tell me why the fu-"

"Shhh, Jack" the boy said, putting a finger to his lips. "You're just mad...would you like to know why?"

The mysterious child raised his hand in the air, and clicked his fingers twice. Suddenly pain shot across the back of Jack's neck. He fell to his knees, coughing and spluttering wildly. He felt something _moving _under his skin. Desperately, he pulled up the sleeve of his sweater. For a few seconds there was nothing but the boiling pain...but then, something appeared on Jack's upper arm. A small bump, rapidly moving towards his wrist _just _under his skin. Jack let out a strangled yelp, paralysed in fear.

"W-wh-wha," Jack spluttered as the thing reached his forearm.

"Shhh Jack, you might scare it," the boy flashed an evil grin. "And you wouldn't want that..."

Suddenly the skin around Jack's wrist began to swell violently, and the winter spirit gripped the area around it and gasped.

"What's happening!?" he yelped.

The boy clicked his fingers once more, and pain exploded in the swelling. Jack shouted in pain as he fell onto the ground, crashing onto the messy floor of the shack. Then everything was quiet - and the pain was gone. Coughing slightly, Jack shakily raised himself up onto his elbows. He looked upwards, bewildered. The sight that greeted him was even stranger. The boy's fingers were twitching slightly, as he reached out towards a - spider? Except it wasn't like any spider Jack had seen or heard of before. Five legs as opposed to four decorated each side of it's body; and it's abdomen was a shimmering velvet purple, that glistened horrifyingly and beautifully in the summer light. It floated through the air towards the boy's fluctuating fingers. It gently slid into the boy's palm, and the bearer grinned.

"Quite interesting, isn't it?" the child mused. "Same one I used on Bunny...it must have gotten onto you somehow."

"B-Bunny?" Jack stuttered. "You-I-..what..."

"Take it easy, Frost," the boy snapped the fingers on his free hand and two chairs shimmered into existence. "Sit down."

"Who are you?" Jack managed, rubbing his forehead. He suddenly felt very light-headed, and also...calm?

"Well, I guess you're not going to stop asking," the boy sat down on his chair, running a finger lightly over the spider. "My name is Morpheus."

Jack weakly raised himself up onto the chair and sat down.

"Wha-what is that thing?" Jack asked, pointing at the spider.

"A Nightshade," Morpheus said. "Nightmare spider."

He chucked it up in the air, and it floated idly, it's stick-like legs swaying creepily.

"Nightmare? So - you...you..." Jack let out an exasperated sigh as his brain struggled to form words.

"Work for Pitch?" Morpheus asked.

Jack nodded meekly.

"God no," Morpheus grinned. "He worked for _me_."

Jack's head snapped up, a look of cautionary disbelief in his eyes.

"I can see your scepticism...but it's true," Morpheus chuckled. "You see Jack - Pitch controls nightmares, right?"

"And fear, hate, anger, l-"

"Ah, but you're wrong."

"Look, 'M'" Jack mocked, standing up. "I fought Pitch - and _won_. I know who he is."

"No you don't," Morpheus's voice was a deep, deathly echo. "And you don't know who I am."

"You're right, I don't," Jack snapped. But for some reason, he felt powerless, like he couldn't muster enough anger to support himself. "All I know is you're some weird kid who has a thing for spiders."

"A kid? Oh..." Morpheus suddenly chuckled. "That's interesting."

"What?"

"Do I have black hair? Pale skin?"

"Y-yes, but-" Jack trailed off, confused.

"Sit down, Jack." Morpheus said, seating himself. "There's a lot to explain."

Jack hesitated for a few moments, but then he sat down cautiously across from the shadowy figure. For a long time, the two simply watched each other. The Nightshade twirled and danced between Morpheus's fingers, leaving faint purple gossamer threads that sparkled and then faded out of existence. Suddenly, Morpheus threw the spider at Jack. The winter spirit flinched, but relaxed slightly when he found that it had stopped, hovering just out of reach, thousands of little violet eyes regarding the Guardian of Fun.

"That - is a Nightshade," Morpheus explained slowly. "A creation of mine. They're designed to kill-"

"Then why am I still alive?" Jack interrupted.

Morpheus exhaled loudly, and cocked his head to the side, annoyed. "Well, I was going to say 'They're designed to kill your _sanity' _- but if you want to jump to conclusions, it's going to get you nowhere."

"Sorry," Jack said, his eyes nervously flicking to the Nightshade and then back to Morpheus.

"Anyway - they destroy your sanity. Crush any mental righteousness in your mind," Morpheus said. "It happened to both you _and _Bunny."

"Wait - you...you made Bunny...into...?" Jack's face set into a cruel gaze. "You little-"

"Shut up, Frosty," Morpheus growled. "If you want to point fingers, then point at a mirror."

"Huh?"

"Look at yourself," Morpheus rolled his eyes.

"No - I get that...but...what do you mean?" Jack asked, confused.

Morpheus straightened his head and squinted at Jack.

"Don't mess with me, Frost," he warned.

"What is there to get?" Jack repeated.

"You really don't know..." Morpheus trailed off, and regarded the Nightshade. He twirled his fingers, and it floated back into his palm. "They're stronger than I thought."

"What the fuck are you talking about?" Jack demanded, his patience waring thin.

"How do you feel Jack?" Morpheus asked, ignoring the spirit's outburst.

"What? I don't know!" Jack said exasperatedly. "Tell me what happe-"

"Jack, answer my question."

"I...uh..." Jack stuttered, considering it. He _did _feel different...like a huge burden had just been lifted from his shoulders. "I feel...uh...relaxed?"

"Well that's something you haven't felt at all the past few days."

"Please speak English," Jack growled.

Morpheus raised an amused eyebrow. He leaned back in his chair, and watched the Nightshade scuttle across his hand. Then he returned his swirling gaze to Jack, and smirked. "From what I understand - you've been giving poor little Bunny quite a rough time."

"What?"

"Let me show you, if you really can't remember," Morpheus reached into his coat pocket, and then lashed out with his hand. Purple smoke danced through the air, shimmering between the two. In the falling violet tendrils, vague images materialised. Jack watched in horror as he saw his hand smash into Bunny's face over and over again, the adorable drawing go up in flames, the hunk of rotting bread shoved down the poor Pooka's throat, the gagging and then...and then...Jack fought back tears as he clearly saw _his _staff smash into Bunny's bottom, rendering it raw and bleeding as the little animal cried, and cried, and cried. Shrieking and shrieking for help, for safety; but nobody was there to give it to him.

Jack yet out a strangled sob, and threw his hand at the smoke. It froze, icy crystals somehow forming amidst the smoke. Then it completely filled the vapor, solidifying into a block of ice. It fell onto the ground, and exploded into a thousand transparent shards.

"THAT WAS NOT ME!" Jack shrieked.

"No, you're right - it wasn't you," Morpheus cackled loudly. "It was this little guy."

He extended his palm, revealing the purple Nightshade. Jack looked at it, a horrific realisation spreading across his face. He looked up at Morpheus, disgusted.

"YOU!" Jack shouted. "YOU DID IT!"

"Of course I did," Morpheus smiled earnestly.

"WHY?!"

"Because it's fun," Morpheus laughed. "Oh, I'm just kidding, don't take it so seriously."

"Wh-what?"

Morpheus stood, his back to Jack. Then he turned, and an evil grin was carved into his face. He spun round, lashing his hand towards Jack. A swirling combination of purple and black particles streaked towards the winter spirit, and enveloped him. He collapsed onto the floor, convulsing. As his vision faded into unconsciousness, Jack could see Morpheus kneeling down next to him; his face a blur of many profiles; at first it was the boy's, then a dark-skinned man, followed by a girl with long, poison green hair, and then grotesquely, little Bunny's chubby little face, his big eyes wide and terrified. Each one flashed by each second, but they all spoke in unbroken unison:

"I didn't do it because it's fun," Morpheus said. "I did it because...now...E. Aster Bunnymund can finally _die_."

Then the confusingly faced figure stood, and grinned down at Jack.

"Sweet dreams, Jackie-boy," he whispered as Jack slipped into unconsciousness.


	6. Chapter 6: Memories

**Be prepared to feel like killing me, killing Morpheus, or even Jack. And to cry. Shit, my computer is covered with tears. Enjoy...**

* * *

Jack opened his eyes, and found he was standing in the middle of the fields. More precisely, he was standing opposite a gravel road that snaked through the center of the vast expanse of fields. Jack rubbed his pounding forehead, and sighed. The road lay several meters away from him, but he could see golden holly leaf bushes lining the stony path, the thorny branches apparently made of glass. Jack took a few shaky steps forward, his head spinning. He stopped and bended over, coughing loudly. When he was done, he spat onto the ground, and weakly raised himself up.

Something caught his eye on the road. A walking figure. A big, furry, blue figure.

"B-Bunny?" Jack gasped. Without hesitation, he began running. He danced through the thousands of glistening wheat strands of the Elysium Fields, a smile quickly growing on his face. Within a minute, he had reached the road. He pushed through the holly bushes, the stems and leaves crackling and snapping as he rushed through. A few tears and pinpricks of blood appeared on Jack's body, but the winter spirit was oblivious. He burst through them, and jumped out in front of Bunnymund.

"Bunny!" Jack exclaimed, opening his arms.

The big blue Pooka walked straight through him, as if Jack was a ghost.

For a second, complete emptiness filled Jack's soul, and grief filled his mind. He clutched his chest, panting wildly. He spun round to see Bunnymund still walking - oblivious to Jack's existence.

"No...no...please," Jack spluttered.

He'd gone so long without belief; the children of the world hadn't known of his existence for hundreds of years. Now it was different. But...what did it mean if _Bunnymund_ didn't know he existed? Of all people, _Bunnymund _had to believe in the winter spirit! Bunny...Jack's mate, lover, protector, mentor, supporter - and closest friend. Half-frozen tears welled in Jack's eyes, and he fought them back.

_"Relax, frosty," _Morpheus's voice echoed out across the road.

Jack spun round, his fist blindly raised in an attempt to strike. But there was no one there. Confused and desperate, Jack looked around him.

"WHERE ARE YOU!" Jack shrieked.

"_You won't be able to see me - yet," _Morpheus sounded amused. _"This is a memory - all of this has already happened._"

"W-What?" Jack suddenly realised that Morpheus's voice was coming from _inside _his head.

"_This is a relatively new memory," _Morpheus explained. "_This happened right after your...argument with Bunny,"_

"B-but then..." Jack struggled. "What is - or _was _- he doing here?"

"_No idea_," Morpheus replied earnestly. _"Just so happens, he had a nasty encount-" _

A strangled shout echoed out from behind Jack. The Guardian spun round, in time to see Bunnymund fall to the ground, clutching his hand desperately. Jack dashed over, and collapsed to his knees next to the Pooka. He tried to reach out, but his hand went straight through.

"WHAT'S WRONG WITH HIM?!" Jack shouted.

_"Look..._"

Jack suddenly noticed something on Bunny's hand. His eyes growing wide in shock, Jack recognised the purple and black shape of a Nightshade. The spider had it's sharp black teeth embedded in Bunnymund's palm, and the area around the bite was swelling a dull, angry red. The Easter Bunny continued to thrash wildly, spit frothing at his mouth. Then he closed his eyes, and went mostly still, except for the tremors shooting down his spine.

"B-Bunny...," Jack stuttered.

_Dead?_

No - because otherwise, Little Bunny would never have turned up at North's workshop. So what-

"_I was perplexed as you," _Morpheus admitted. "_When I came along, I had no idea what to think." _

"When you came along...?" Jack trailed off as he noticed another figure fast approaching. He looked up, and just for a few seconds Jack thought that Pitch Black had returned. But then the winter spirit saw that it definitely wasn't the Nightmare King. The figure was slender and thin, his skin grey and pale, stretched over firmly outlined muscles. His robes were a an intensely dark red, and looked to be spun of the finest gossamer. Swirling black patterns shifted and moved across the silky fabric, creating a disorienting effect. The man's face was sharp and manly, his hair was a dark, lustrous black, and his eyes swirled an amethyst shade of purple. Jack gaped as the man regarded Bunnymund's paralysed form.

"That's...that's not you," Jack stuttered.

_"Oh but it is!" _Morpheus chuckled inside Jack's head. _"Just a different...representation," _

"What do you mean?" Jack asked, as he watched the man, who was apparently Morpheus, crouch down.

_"I have many faces Jack," _Morpheus explained. _"I appear to people as their worst fear." _

"Bunny isn't scared of cloaked men - and I'm not afraid of teenage demons"

"_Teenage demon? That's a good one!" _Morpheus chuckled. _"You're not scared of demons, Jack. You're scared of threat, of the unknown - partly what teenagers fear, I suppose. That is why I appeared in my adolescent form to you. As for Bunnymund..." __  
_

The adult Morpheus reached out and placed his hand on Bunny's chest. The Nightshade gracefully scuttled across Bunnymund's furry chest, and climbed onto Morpheus's hand.

_"He's not scared of cloaked men, Jack," _Jack could almost _hear _Morpheus smirk. _"He's scared of so much more." _

Then the adult Morpheus let out a cackling laugh, and suddenly the scene dissolved in front of Jack. Flashes of color danced across the winter spirit's vision, and the memory re-formed in front of his eyes. Now, he was standing on the same path, but in an entirely different location. Almost immediately, Jack became aware of a rustling in the prickly holly bushes standing just in front of him. He turned his icy blue gaze to the movement, just as something burst out onto the gravel road.

With a horrific squeal as spiky glass leaves and branches scraped his skin and caused blood to well across his body, little Bunny tumbled through, crashing on the ground.

"B-Bunny?" Jack gasped.

The sobbing creature desperately shook his coat, trying to shake the glass shards embedded in his skin off. His big green eyes were wide with terror, and tears flew down his cheeks. His little cottonball tail shook wildly, and the rest of his body trembled madly as his ears drooped over his head. He let out several loud screams as blood dribbled down his body.

_"The Nightshade destroyed him," _Morpheus said. _"Exploited his deepest, darkest fears and anxieties. God Jack - there was so much about you. He thought you didn't love him..." _

"No..." Jack stared broken-heartedly at the sobbing creature, unable to help.

_"That you didn't think he loved you..."_

"No...please..."

_"That you wouldn't be there for him..." _

"I...no..." Jack fought back tears.

_"That you would never care about him." _

"NO!" Jack shouted, falling to his knees, slamming his fist into the ground as he did so.

_"My dear little Nightshade took all of those ideas - and made them consume poor Bunnymund," _Morpheus said, false sympathy echoing in his voice. _"It took only a few hours, and Bunny woke up like this. Pathetic, stupid, scared, and alone." _

Bunny weakly got onto his hind legs, squealing as a large shard of glass stabbed him in his soft behind. He collapsed back onto the ground, desperately gripping his bottom as it exploded in pain. Jack reached out, but his hand went straight through the memory.

_"But I was there for him Jack," _Morpheus's voice took a mocking tone. _"I was _there _when you weren't." _

Jack looked up, unsurprised yet still mortified to find Morpheus approaching. Although he wore the same garments as he had earlier, Morpheus had transformed into his teenage form, identical to the version Jack had first seen him in. The seemingly innocent boy softly crouched down next to the sobbing blue rabbit. Panting and hiccuping wildly in pain, Bunny looked up at Morpheus, his eyes consumed with tears.

"Aww, hi little guy," Morpheus sounded so loving - so _safe_. Gently, he picked the fluffy little Pooka up in his arms, cradling him softly. Bunny continued to wail, pressing his paws on Morpheus's chest. "Oh Bunny, you're hurt!"

Morpheus lifted a hand, and hovered it over Bunny's frail body. Purple mist swirled around his fingertips, and Jack watched as the glass shards dissolved like sugar in water, and the blood seeped back into cuts. Bunny's body quivered madly, unsure of what was going on, and then everything stopped. The pain, the suffering, the tears. All gone. Bunny lifted his head, and Jack saw instant love, gratitude, and joy shining up at Morpheus. Bunny snuggled against Morpheus's chest, his fluffy little paws gripping Morpheus's robes.

_"I showed him that _I _loved him - and you didn't" _as Morpheus's voice echoed out in Jack's head, the scene dissolved into blackness, and reappeared inside Morpheus's shack. It was a cool, crisp night and a small fire was crackling magically in the air, casting a dim glow on Morpheus and Bunny, who were cuddling on Morpheus's tatty bed. An instant pang of jealousy spiked through Jack.

Stroking Bunny's little head lovingly, Morpheus smiled down at the creature.

"Bunny?" he said softly.

The little creature stirred, yawing adorably. He smacked his lips twice, wiggled his little bottom, and then rolled over onto his back, so his little paws were upraised in the air.

"Wes?" Bunny mumbled.

"Do you love me?" Morpheus asked.

"Wes Mwomeus," Bunny giggled, gripping Morpheus's index finger. "I woves you."

"Good."

The memory began to dissolve once again, but before it did, Jack noticed Morpheus violently grip Bunny's paw...

_"And then I destroyed him," _Morpheus cackled, the sound sending shivers down Jack's spine.

When the memory reappeared, they were still in the shack, but things were different. Blood and sweat flew, screams echoed across the Elysium Fields, and vile laughter covered it all. Jack burst into silent tears as the scene unfolded in front of him.

Morpheus had Bunny by the ears, and was brandishing the screaming Pooka around the room. The fat, fluffy little Bunny was covered in blood; his ears flopped wildly, his little arms flailed in distress, his legs kicking at the air desperately. Then there were the tears...god, the tears. They streamed off Bunny's face, soaking his fluffy blue fur and flying across the room. The tears were accompanied by horrific shrieks of pain and pure terror as Bunny spun through the air, the skin around his ears tearing as force pulled at them. But what made Jack cry were his eyes; those big, green eyes. Always so loving, protective, faithful, caring, and hopeful; now they were distorted by fear and pain, shaking wildly and flooding with salty tears.

Morpheus slammed the poor creature straight into the wall of the shack, and Bunny shrieked as the air was knocked out of him, and small shards of wood punctured his skin. Morpheus continued to slam Bunny into the wall, again, and again, and again. Each time, more blood was streaking across Bunny's face. Jack watched as Bunny's nose was shredded in half, his fur ripped off in ragged clumps, and his ears tore around the corners.

"PLEASE STOP IT!" Jack shrieked, sobbing. But he was powerless; there was no way to save his Bunnymund - for it had already happened.

"PWEEEEEEASSEEE!" Bunny shrieked, flailing his arms wildly. "PWEASE MWOMEUS! PWWWWEAAAASEEEE! I WOVES YOU! I WO-AAAAAAAAAAAAA!"

Morpheus only laughed, and taking a book, hit the terrified rabbit across the face. The torture continued for hours, a constant cycle of Bunny being thrown around the room, crushed by furniture, smacked by large objects, spun round like a lasso by his ears or his tail...and being forced to swallow whole, live Nightshades. Eventually, Morpheus stopped. Taking the now-limp creature outside, he walked over to the road. Then he stood, and raised Bunny up. The Pooka wailed, and attempted to shield himself with his tiny fluffy paws.

"I love you, Bunny," Morpheus snarled. Then he brought Bunny up to his mouth, and bit Bunny on the face, hard. The terrified creature writhed wildly as Morpheus's snake-like teeth pierced his skin, and his legs weakly beat at Morpheus's face.

"AAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAH! PW-PWEAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAAA! MW-MWOME-AAAAAAAAAAAAAA!" Bunny let out the loudest, most inhumane scream as two of his tiny ribs cracked under Morpheus's teeth. Morpheus dropped the rabbit, who crashed onto the floor. Then, laughing, he turned and left, leaving the poor creature abandoned in the middle of nowhere. The vision faded, and Jack watched as the broken form of Bunnymund cried into the dissolving gravel of the Elysium road.

* * *

**North's Workshop (While Jack is with Morpheus)**

Tooth slowly twisted the doorknob, anxiously listening for any noise inside Jack's apartment. But there wasn't any. Except for the faint, desperate sounds echoing out. She'd heard them from the corridor as she passed, and had decided to check. Now, as she flew through the seemingly empty apartment, intense anxiety was building in her chest. Slowly, she approached where she believed the sounds were coming from. As she did, she noticed a few things strewn on the ground...carrot slices, crayons, paper and...ash?

A steady fear creeping into her heart, Toothiana ended up in front of Jack's bathroom. The door was left slightly ajar, and she slid in quietly. Immediately, she became aware of a weak keening and sobbing, muffled from the...toilet seat?

_"Bunny...?!" _

Tooth dashed over, and flipped open the lid. To her complete horror, she found a half-submerged, soaking, trembling, crying, and hurt Bunny in the basin of the toilet. The poor creature was shaking wildly, his face contorted in despair as he emitted a never-ending cycle of moans and whimpers, small tears streaming down his face. When light seeped harshly into his prison, the little fat, fluffy Pooka looked up, and when he saw Tooth, he let out an incredibly loud wail that shook his whole body.

"TWOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!" he shrieked, extending his trembling, soaked paws upwards towards her. "PWEEEEEEASSEEEEE TWOOOOOTH!"

"Oh my god..." Tooth hurriedly reached in, and lifted the soaking Bunny out of the water. She cradled him in her arms, and the terrified creature snuggled up against her, resting his head on her shoulder and curling the rest of himself up into a tight ball in the crook of her arm. Close to tears herself, she shakily stroked the terrified creature on the back.

"Bunny, what happened?" Tooth managed softly.

Bunny let out a terrified sob, and Tooth gently stroked him comfortingly.

"Please, please tell me Bunny," Tooth laid a small kiss on his head.

"W-Wack...w-wack...w-" Bunny started sobbing again. "WACK HUWT MWE!"

"What?!"

"W-WA-WACK HWIT MWE!" Bunny wailed, his soaked fur shaking wildly. "HE HUWT MWE SO MWUCH! I DWIDNT DWO ANYTHWING! I PWOMISE! A-A-AND-HE HWIT MWE!"

"Oh fuck..." a single tear slid down Toothiana's cheek. "Where did he hit you, Bunny?"

"H-h-h-W-Wacks h-hwit mwe on mwy fwace," Bunny took a shaky breath, but the tears kept flowing. "A-a-a-a-and dwen...and dwen he hwit mwe on my bwum. So many times. Wi-wi-wiwth stwaff."

"H-he hit you with his staff?" Tooth couldn't believe it...surely not Jack. Not the Jack she knew.

"WES! WES HE DWID!" Bunny wailed again, shaking violently. "AN-AN-AN ALL I WANTS WAS CAWWOT! BWUT WACK SAY NWO! DWEN HE HWIT MWE! TW-TWO-TWOOTH, MWE WAS SO SCWAWED! MWE-MWE-MWE-MWE WANTS YOU BUT YOU DWIDNT HEAW MWE! AN-AN-AN-AN-I DWEW PWITCTURE! BWUT WACK PWUT IT IN FWYRE! AN-AN-AN-AN-AN-"

"Shhh Bunny, it's going to be okay," Tooth hugged him tightly as he began sobbing again, harder this time. "I don't think he wanted too, sweetheart."

Bunny hiccuped loudly, fatigue creeping up on his sobbing form.

"I-I woves hwim," Bunny sobbed. "I woves hwim so mwuch,"

Tooth's heart broke as she heard Bunny say it. How, after so much, could Bunny still love Jack?

"D-Don't worry Bunny, we'll find him, and we'll figure it out, okay?" Bunny nodded slightly, silent tears continuing to wet his fur.

"I woves hwim..." Bunny repeated, as his eyelids grew heavy and he fell asleep.

_"We'll find him Bunny," _Tooth thought as she gently raised herself up into the air, careful not to wake her terrified little friend. "_And when we do - I'm going to fucking destroy him." _

* * *

**Kill me, kill Morpheus, kill Jack, either or all, and then go cuddle Bunny and plot revenge with Tooth. **

**Next chapter will be second to last! Hope you enjoyed...if crying or throwing rocks at the screen in anger is counted as enjoyment. **

**Please R&R **

**~FOM**


	7. Chapter 7: I Remember You

**Oh god oh god oh god oh god. Why did I write this? I'm a horrible person. THIS IS THE SECOND LAST CHAPTER! Please R&R! **

* * *

Jack's haunted eyes fluttered open. He hadn't been crying in the real world, but he could feel the ghostly trails from his profuse sobbing during the memory. He was sitting, propped against the wall of Morpheus's shack. As he raised his head, he became aware of old, dried blood stains on the opposite wall.

_"Bunny…" _Jack's eyes brimmed with tears as he thought of the memory.

"Anyway, somehow - Bunny found his way to North's workshop," Morpheus said. "And the rest is history."

The winter spirit shakily turned his head towards the cruel man's voice. He found Morpheus sitting in the chair idly, his head cocked to the side, looking at Jack, amused. He was in his teenage form, his jet black hair lazily flopping across his paw. A Nightshade danced through his fingers.

"H-how…how could you?" Jack choked. "You're a monster."

"And you're no different," Morpheus flashed a snake-like grin, exposing those terrifyingly sharp teeth. "Remember what you did Jack…"

"THAT WAS YOU!" Jack suddenly rose to his feet, towering over Morpheus. "I WOULD NEVER DO THAT!"

"I know Jack - but, I'm afraid I'm going to have to stop you there," Morpheus flicked the Nightshade across the room, and it landed on the floor, scuttling away. "Time'sa wasting."

"W-What?" Jack took a step back, regarding the boy suspiciously. "What do you mean?"

"While you're here, dancing and prancing and crying…my little friends are busy paying a little visit to North's workshop," Morpheus said simply.

Jack's eyes widened. "No…"

"Nightshade venom is lethal to small animals," Morpheus lifted a knife swiftly out of his belt, and twirled it in his hands. "Small, fat, fluffy, blue animals…"

He looked up at Jack, and grinned. Morpheus's eyes began to swirl, stormy clouds floating around his darkening pupils.

"MORPHEUS I'LL KILL YOU!" Jack raised his hand, and something rattled across the ground. It shot into Jack's hand, and the Guardian of Fun felt the familiar feeling of his wooden staff in his grasp. He raised it up, poised to strike.

Morpheus laughed, clapping his hands. "Ooooh! Very nicely done! But Jack - my minions left two hours ago. It will take you three hours to get to North's Workshop from here…how long do you have?"

Jack dropped his arm, and turned round, looking out of the window, his senses quickly returning.

"Run, rabbit, run," Morpheus chuckled, sliding his tongue across the blade of his knife. Without turning round, Jack shot out the door, flying as fast as he could.

"HURRY JACK!" Morpheus mockingly called after him. "I THINK YOU'LL HAVE JUST ENOUGH TIME TO WATCH THAT STUPID FUCKING POOKA DIE!"

Then the night master fell onto the ground, clutching his stomach as he howled in laughter.

* * *

Jack arrived at North's Workshop as the last light left the frozen wasteland. He burst through the door, and flew down the hallways.

"BUNNY!" Jack shouted. "BUNNY COME HERE!"

Suddenly, a blur of rainbow colours smashed into him, knocking him to the ground. Small fists smashed at his face as he crashed onto the ground.

"HOW-COULD-YOU!" Tooth screamed in between punches. "YOU-NEARLY-KILLED-HIM-ASSHOLE!"

"Tooth! Tooth please! Bunny's in-in-AGHHH!" Jack yelped as one of his teeth cracked. "BUNNY'S IN DANGER!"

"YEAH, FROM YOU!" With a strength neither of them knew she had, Tooth hoisted Jack into the air by the sweater, and threw him into the wall. He gritted his teeth as his face slammed against the oak, splintering it. He crumpled onto the ground, and struggled to his feet. He extended his staff as a warning.

"TOOTH! LISTEN TO ME!"

"NO! YOU-HOW COULD YOU? HE LOVED YOU, AND YOU HURT HIM! YOU HIT HIM! Y-YOU-YOU BEAT HIM!" Tooth shrieked, desperately trying to get at Jack.

"I DIDN'T KNOW WHAT I WAS DOING! IT WASN'T ME! I DIDN-"

Tooth broke past the staff, and kicked him in the throat. Jack choked as he fell to the ground again.

"HE COULDN'T DO ANYTHING, YOU SICK BASTARD!" Tooth shouted, hovering above Jack. She was about to kick him again, but as Jack raised his arms to block his face, a terrified squeal echoed through the workshop.

"TWOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOTH!" Bunny's voice was filled with fear. "HEWWWWWWWWWWWP MWE! PWWWEAAAASEEE! I'M SCAWAWED!"

"Wha-?"

"Tooth, where did you leave him?" Jack asked desperately, fear choking his heart.

Dumbfounded, Tooth struggled for words.

"W-we-we were g-going to m-my palace" she stuttered. "B-But I forgot s-s-something, so I l-left him outside and I c-came inside to-"

"Oh no…" Jack whizzed past her, flying as fast as he could.

"JACK! COME BACK HERE!" she shrieked, her anger returning. "YOU ARE NOT GOING TO HURT HIM AGAIN!"

She flew after him in hot pursuit.

* * *

Jack burst through one of the windows, so he was hovering above the icy slopes around North's workshop. Tooth flew out behind him, and attempted to stop the spirit. He shook her off violently, and looked around.

"Where are the others?!" Jack demanded. "North!? Sandy!?"

Tooth ignored him, and tackled him in the air. Jack pushed her off.

"THERE'S NO TIME FOR THIS!" Jack shouted.

Another scream echoed out somewhere in the slopes. "HEWWWWWWWWWWWWP MWEEEEEEE!"

Momentarily forgetting about Jack, Tooth stared out across the icy wasteland, looking for Bunny.

"BUNNY!" she called desperately. Then she turned to Jack, shaking. "North and Sandy aren't here - I don't know where they are."

"Then we need to go." Without hesitation, Jack spun round and flew off towards Bunny's shrieks. Tooth followed him.

Jack dipped and dived, spinning through the countless paths and slopes of the snow.

"Bunny!" he called. "Bunny it's okay! Where are you?"

He could still hear the terrified squeals and sobs, but he couldn't find the poor creature.

_"For the Moon's sake, where is he?!" _Jack thought desperately. Then he spotted it. A few metres to his left, he saw the tips of two blue ears bouncing unhappily. He banked hard left, as if he was a military vehicle, and swooped over to Bunny. He found himself flying above the terrified little Pooka, who was slipping pathetically across a frozen dirt path carved into the landscape. Jack looked behind him, and to his horror saw Bunny's peruser. It was indeed a Nightshade; but the grosstech creature was at least triple the size of the ones that Morpheus had shown Jack, and the winter spirit could visibly see it's massive pincers, that lashed out at the furry little creature just ahead of it.

Bunny was wailing and screaming, tears streaking across his face. He was unsteadily racing across the pathway on two legs; his arms flailing wildly and his big eyes twisted in terror.

_"Why isn't he hopping!?" _Jack's eyes widened in dismay as he watched the spider slowly gain on Bunny. He sped his flight speed up so that he was ahead of his terrified friend, and then he dropped down, landing in front of Bunny. When Bunny saw him, his face contorted in pain and fear, and he slipped, desperately scrambling for safety.

"PWEASE!" Bunny sobbed. "PWEASE WACK, NO HUWT MWE!"

Jack's heart wrenched as the creature lost all control, and tears streaming down his face, he crashed into the ground, and went tumbling. By now, the left side of the path had changed to a slope, that slanted down towards a small icy stream at the bottom of the incline. Bunny fell down the slope, spinning in circles and wailing horrifically as he crashed onto the hard rocks that littered the incline. Jack flew steadily down after him, while the massive Nightshade leapt down.

Bunny fell into the stream, and his small, frail body was instantly caught in the current, and he was whisked downstream. Water filled his nose, his mouth, his eyes, his ears and his throat. For a second, he was drowning. But then, as the stream tumbled over a small cliff face, he was sent flying through the air. Bunny crashed into the snow face-first, and weakly struggled to his feet, and kept running on his hind legs, wobbling widely as his fat little body struggled to stay balanced.

Diving down, Jack pulled up alongside Bunny in the air. Bunny screamed in fear at the sight of the winter spirit, and nearly lost his footing, but Jack reached out and steadied the tiny creature in mid-air. Trembling, Bunny looked up at Jack as he continued to run forward.

"Bunny, hop!" Jack said

Confused, Bunny cast a glance over his shoulder, and squealed when he saw the Nightshade quickly approaching. He burst into tears again, and slipped slightly.

"Bunny! Listen to me!" Jack said more urgently. "HOP!"

Bunny looked up at Jack, and just for a second, their eyes met. Icy blue and warm green. Jack saw a momentary flash of warmth and love in the Pooka's terrified eyes as the two of them continued to race down the hill.

"You can do it Bunny," Jack whispered reassuringly. "We're going to play a little game."

Then Jack dropped onto the ground, and spun round, his staff extended towards the Nightshade. A jet of sparkling icy energy shot out at the spider, and caught it. It's limbs froze, and it fell to it's side, paralysed as ice began to spread across it's arachnid body. It shrieked loudly, snapping it's pincers in a desperate attempt to free itself from the icy prison.

_"That won't hold for long…" _Jack thought. He turned back to Bunny, who had scrambled to a halt and was staring at Jack in wonder.

"Remember all those races we used to do?" Jack smiled. "Do you?"

Casting a nervous glance at the Nightshade, Bunny bit his bottom lip and looked up at Jack. Nervously, he nodded, his little cheeks wobbling.

Jack grinned, and Bunny's ears perked up slightly.

"We're going to have a race!" Jack laughed. "And who ever wins, gets a carrot!"

A huge grin spread across Bunny's tiny face.

"W-Weawy?" he asked cautiously. "C-cawwot?"

"The biggest carrot in North's kitchen!" Jack raised his hands up, and spread them apart, putting a wide distance between them. "This big!"

"Dwis bwig!?" Bunny gaped, his ears standing on end and his fluffy cottonball tail wiggling slightly.

"Yes!"

Bunny let out a gleeful giggle and bounced up and down, clapping his little fluffy paws together. "YAAAY! BWIG CAWWOT!"

Jack heard ice beginning to crack, and looked at the frozen Nightshade. Small cracks were appearing in the icy chunks that were spread across the spider's body.

"_Shit - I should have killed it," _he thought. _"Maybe I still can…I just have to get Bunny out of here first." _

He turned back to Bunny.

"But, the only way you can win, is if you hop. You remember how to hop, right?"

Bunny nodded vigorously, his little nose wiggling. "Wes!"

"Then let's go!" Jack said. He pointed down the slope. "First one to hop to the bottom, wins the carrot!"

"Cawwot!" Bunny got down on his four paws, and wiggled his bum readily, furrowing his brows determinedly.

"One…" Jack counted.

Ice snapped.

"Two…"

Jack heard a chunk of ice falling and cracking on the ground.

"Three!"

The Nightshade broke free, and leapt forward at Bunny. Oblivious, the little fluffy Pooka began bounding down the slope determinedly. Jack threw himself forward, and the Nightshade tackled him to the ground. Snarling, the two of them tumbled down the slope. The dark spider snapped at Jack with it's pincers and teeth, and Jack punched it repeatedly in the face and throat. Eventually, Jack was able to get a grip on it's neck, and with all his effort, he twisted. An inhuman scream echoed out from the creature as it's head ripped straight of it's head. Black blood flew through the air, soaking Jack. Jack and the Nightshade's limp body skidded to a halt at the bottom of the slope. The Guardian of Fun hastily got up, pushing the arachnid off of him.

He turned round, to find Bunny trembling, staring at the dead creature. Jack smiled and clapped his hands as if nothing was wrong.

"You won Bunny! You get the carrot!" Jack laughed.

For a few seconds, a weak smile crossed Bunny's face, but suddenly it contorted into terror and the poor creature let out a loud wail. Throwing his fluffy little paws out, he pointed behind Jack.

"WACKS!" Bunny shrieked. "WATCH OUTS!"

Jack spun round, in time to see Morpheus, wisps of red mist streaming off his robes, eyes pulsing with purple energy, descend down towards him, knife in hand. Jack had mere seconds to react, and when he did, he thrust out his staff. A sharp spear of ice bolted out, and stabbed Morpheus through the chest.

The Nightshade master's eyes contorted in surprise, and he crashed down on Jack. The two went sprawling, Morpheus lying limp across Jack's icy body. Jack scrambled out from under Morpheus, panting wildly. Then Morpheus's hand lashed out, grabbing Jack's sleeve. He raised his face, which was ashen and grey. He grinned, exposing sharp, viper teeth. He laughed weakly as his black blood seeped out across the snowy ground.

"W-Well done Jack," Morpheus coughed in mid-chuckle. "But - you missed one."

For a second, Jack was confused, but then his eyes widened in horrific realisation. In the same instant, he heard a desperate shout from Tooth, who appeared suddenly in the air above them. "JACK! JACK! THERE'S ANOTHER SPID-"

She was cut off as a strangled scream echoed out from behind Jack.

The Guardian had just enough time to spin round and see another massive Nightshade sink it's teeth into Bunny's fluffy little neck.

"NOOOO!" Jack screamed. Tears streaking down his face, he lashed out at Morpheus with his staff. An icicle shot out and stabbed Morpheus through the head, silencing the shadow man. Then Jack sprinted over to where a screaming Bunny was being lifted off the ground by the Nightshade's teeth. Jack violently hit the Nightshade, crushing it's arachnid head within seconds, blood and brains spilling out across the snowy ground. Then Jack fell to his knees, in time to catch Bunny as he fell.

"GOD NO, PLEASE, BUNNY! PLEASE!" Jack sobbed, lifting the rabbit up.

Bunny was thrashing wildly, froth gushing out of his mouth. His legs bucked hopelessly, and his ears swung round and round crazily. Bunny's eyes were wide and unseeing, terror and pain pulsing through them. His tiny fluffy chest heaved as the poison of the Nightshade attacked his nervous system, making breathing difficult.

"PLEASE! NO!" Jack cried hopelessly, his body being shaking violently in grief. Tooth crashed to the ground helplessly, crying in horror herself.

"BUNNY PLEASE!" Jack shouted. "BUNNY I LOVE YOU!"

For a second, Bunny stopped moving, and weakly turned to look at Jack. Their eyes met, and Bunny shakily reached out with is paw. Jack took it, holding it tightly.

"I…I…woves…woves you Wacks," Bunny said faintly.

"NO - BUNNY…PLEASE!" Jack howled in anguish.

"I…I….woves…." Bunny trailed off, and closed his eyes. Then he was still.

Jack raised his head to the sky and screamed in anguish, tears soaking his shirt and falling on Bunny's limp body. He screamed until he ran out of breath, then sobbing, he hung his head, looking down at his friend. He leaned forward and shakily kissed Bunny's forehead.

"I-I-I l-love you Bunny," he sobbed. "I-I'm s-sorry…"

* * *

**Don't worry - there's one more chapter to go! Don't give up hope! Think of what Bunnymund would say :) **

**Final chapter coming out in the next few days! **

**~FOM**


	8. Chapter 8: I Love You

Jack's eyelids drooped but he wouldn't let them close. His features were gaunt and dull, his eyes consumed with grief and horror. His hair was mangled and unclean, the dirt clogging the fine strands making his hair almost appear grey. It had been four days. Four days of sleeplessness - Jack hadn't allowed himself to rest for even a minute. The other Guardians urged him to, but he ignored them, often acting like they weren't there. They had eventually given up, leaving the winter spirit to his suffering.

_"Four days..." _Jack thought, rubbing his eyes with the butts of his palms.

Four days since Bunny had been attacked and nearly killed by the Nightshade. _Nearly _killed...when Sandy and North had returned to find Tooth and Jack clutching onto each other, sobbing wretchedly, the crumpled body of little Bunny between them, the Guardians had acted. Calling upon the powers of some other fables and myths; Gaia, the Earthen Mistress, the Brownie of Blednoch, the immortal Persephone, and even the Little Grey Man who had once bequeathed his golden goose to Simpleton, hundreds of years ago. The four healers, along with Sandy, had taken Bunny into North's workshop and begun the race against time.

"He's not dead!" Gaia had announced after placing her hand on Bunny's chest, and using her deepest magic to delve straight to his center. The Brownie of Blednoch had agreed, after sticking the leaf of a special plant down Bunny's throat, and bringing out, to find it as brittle and frozen as a chunk of ice. Snapping the leaf in half, he had announced; "He's paralysed! Unconscious! He's not dead, but if we do not move quickly, he will suffocate!"

With clicks of fingers and puffs of magic, the room they chose transformed into a medical room. Thousands of bowls of neatly labelled herbs and plants from Gaia stacked themselves the wall, and would float over when called by name. Thousands of alcohols, numbing liquids and magical brews somehow filled the Brownie's tiny rucksack, and a simple thought would cause the desired potion to leap into the wisher's hand. Persephone and The Little Grey Man brought their magic, weaving comforting strands of music and memories of the warmth of spring and the cool of Autumn through the air. Sandy fed golden strands through Bunny's mind, conjuring images of a better place in the paralysed Bunny's worked for exactly for days, attending to Bunny, trying to save him. Then they had stopped on the fourth evening, and had said to the Guardians that all they could do was wait. They had lain the still-frozen little Pooka in his bed, tucking him up as comfortably as they could; then they had left.

So now here Jack was, in the first sunlit hours of the fifth day, sitting outside of Bunny's cottage in the Warren. He was leaning against the wall of the cottage, seated exhaustedly on a stool. The Warren had turned grey as it's masters life force struggled to survive, the leaves alternating between sickly shades of grey and brown, and the bright, pulsating greens and pinks that usually decorated the wonderland.

Jack's eyes were just about to close in final defeat, when the winter spirit became aware of a creaking sound. He jumped to his feet, staff swinging around wildly. His mind screamed "_MORPHEUS! MORPHEUS! NIGHTSHADE! MORPHEUS! NIGHTSHADE! MORPHEUS!" _but then the stark memory of Jack slicing the nightmaster's head open with a single supercharged icicle surfaced. Sighing unhappily, Jack dismissed the sound for one of the many Warren trees. Slowly, he turned round, ready to reassume his position on his chair.

But when he turned round, he froze. Because the noise hadn't come from the trees. The door of Bunny's cottage banged softly against the wall of the cottage as it opened, and for a few minutes there was silence. Jack stared in complete shock at the figure weakly standing in the doorway. The figure's blue fur was slightly pale, but it still rippled healthy in the breeze. He was thinner, but thick muscles were still carved across his body. Although drooping slightly, his long ears stood perkily in the air. His big feet stood sturdily on the ground, although he was shaking slightly. But by the Moon - it was _him_. His big green eyes regarded Jack warmly; because he wasn't tiny, he wasn't hurt, he wasn't scared, he wasn't crying...he was _alive_.

"H-Heya Frostbite," Bunny smiled.

Jack burst into tears, and threw himself at the large Pooka. Sobbing, he clutched Bunnymund as cold tears of relief streaked down his face. Bunny hugged him back tightly, kissing his forehead softly. The two of them slowly fell to their knees on the soft, warm grass of the Warren, still holding on to each other.

"Shhhh, shhhh Snowflake," Bunny said as he cradled Jack. "It's okay..."

"I-I-I th-thought yo-you were d-dead," Jack cried, burying his face in Bunny's warm, furry neck.

Bunnymund chuckled slightly. "I thought I was too, mate," he pulled away, and brought his face up to Jack, so there noses were touching. He cupped the side of Jack's face in his large hand, and kissed his mate's icy lips softly. "But you pulled me through, didn't ya?"

"I-I-I hurt..." Jack took a shaky breath. "I-I h...h...h-hurt you."

Bunny looked Jack straight in the eyes, their faces still pressed together, their noses still touching.

"But you didn't mean ta," Bunny whispered, stroking a tear away from Jack's cheek with his thumb. "You weren't in control."

"H-How...how did y-y-you k-know?" Jack hiccuped.

"I don't - I don't know what happened...but I knew you would _never _do somethin' like that," Bunny gently wrapped his arms around Jack protectively. "You _couldn't _do somthin' like that."

Bunny leaned forward again, and kissed Jack again. This time, the winter spirit returned the gesture passionately. They kissed for several minutes, Jack slowly sliding his arms around the Pooka's waist as they did so. Bunny pulled his young lover against him, expertly pressing their bodies together without breaking the kiss. Eventually, a lack of air forced them apart. But only just. His lips now hovering just out of reach of Jack's, Bunny stroked his mate's lower back affectionately.

"I love you Snowflake," he whispered.

Jack let out a small, wet chuckle in spite of himself, and planted another quick kiss on Bunny's lips.

"I love you too Bunny."

Bunnymund embraced him tightly, and the two of them rested their heads on each other's shoulders.

And all was well.

* * *

**HAPPY ENDINGS EVERYWHERE! I hope you enjoyed "I Only Want To Love You" - because I actually enjoyed writing a tragedy that had a happy ending! **

**I'm going to take a break from writing this Little Bunny x Jack genre, and write a proper Bunnymund x Jack fanfic. After that, I'll return to these, because they're quite interesting to write.**

**Anyway, thank you for all the support! Hope to see you at my next story!**

**~Feast On The Mind**


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